


Talon’s Flight

by Coral_Mountain



Series: Shed Feathers [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Court of Owls, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mentioned Barbara Gordon, Young Dick Grayson, Young Justice Season 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24400894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coral_Mountain/pseuds/Coral_Mountain
Summary: “Please, oh god, please! Don’t kill me!” Zucco stuttered while pleading. But his voice only caused Dick to remember the cracking sound his parents made as he made them fall.How he hated gold.
Series: Shed Feathers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794031
Comments: 52
Kudos: 210





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Broken Wings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22355224) by [Seraphim0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraphim0/pseuds/Seraphim0). 



> Uh this is my first fic? Please don’t be too harsh ( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ ), i tried my best
> 
> Have at my version of a talon dick Grayson

It’s cold.

That’s all Dick could register in his mind. He couldn’t remember why he was here, where _here_ is. Darkness painted his field of view, movement was limited to twitches in the small box-like room he was locked in. It was all jumbled, his last memories of being conscious.

_Dick screamed wildly for someone,_ **_anyone_ ** _, to help him. Electric shocks passed through his body quicker than the Flash could run, he had already bitten a chunk of his tongue off. But when he spit out the bloody appendage, he felt horror as the section grew back in seconds._

Dick heard a hissing sound as light flooded into the box, no, _coffin_ . His eyes grew wider than dinner plates. There were numerous rows of those cryogenic coffins lining the room, but he wasn’t alone. Plain white owl masks adorned the few people surrounding him, while black, shaded talon hoods covered an _army._

_When Dick was still new to being Robin, he heard rumours scattered on the dirty streets of Gotham. Of a society behind the city, a group of people who ruled Gotham in the shadows. But of course, it was only a nursery rhyme, nothing else came up when Robin hacked the Bat-computers._

_“Dick, I know you're still up! Get to bed, it’s past time and you’ve got a mission with the team tomorrow,” Bruce called out. Robin quickly turned off the screens and headed to bed. Everything about the empty file was forgotten._

The team. Dick just remembered he was on a mission, flashes of his last assignment flew by quickly.

_Robin cackled as he threw batarangs at Killer Crock, flipping into a round off, he blended to the shadows once more. The warehouse was in ruins, the last remnants of the sun shined through the cracks in the wall while the evening quickly turned into the night. Miss Martian used her telekinesis to stop any rubble he threw at them from hitting them, while Superboy kept trying to pummel him into the broken floor with his fists_

_.  
  
_

_It was supposed to be a simple undercover mission, observe and report back to Batman. But while Robin hacked into the files, Kid Flash stumbled onto a hidden sewage system beneath the building.  
_ _‘Guys, I thought there were no sewer systems running beneath this place?’ Kid telepathically reported back to the team.  
_ _‘Well I guess we found out how Killer Crock was entering and leaving this base then,’ Robin replied in the mind link. A smirk adorned the bird as Aqualad gave the order that they had gotten what they needed as the Boy Wonder downloaded the files onto his hologlove. But Kid Flash unknowingly tripped a silent alarm in the tunnels as he ran back, a roar and shaking from the ground was the only warning given before Killer Crock burst out and started attacking the team._

_As Artemis fired off arrows at any weak points she could observe, Kid Flash kept speeding and hitting the villain alongside Superboy. The fight had already been going on for quite a while, sweat was apparent in the human members, while even Miss Martian and Aqualad were paler, Kid Flash and Superboy we’re moving slightly slower. However tired the team was, Killer Crock was even more exhausted, clearly running on fumes, a well timed exploding batarang and arrow knocked the villain into unconsciousness. The rubble around him scattered as he fell with a thump. While Kid Flash whooped and high fived Robin, the rest of the team threw each other congratulatory looks._

_However, Robin noticed a couple black figures observing from the rooftops, the tensing of their muscles catapulted Robin into action once more._

_’Incoming!’ He yelled in the mind link, the team sprung back into action, however it was clear they were tired from the fight, and these fighters were no amateurs. The black uniforms helped blend the people into the night, however the gold accents and silver metal on their arms flashed, allowing the team to spot them and attack. They moved with a grace Artemis was familiar with,_

_‘They’re assassins!’ Artemis realised, as they danced with their prey, they didn’t hesitate even a moment when they got injured. Blood scattered the cracked floor, there was no way they didn’t have broken bones with the ferocity Superboy hit them with._

_It was only when one of their legs clearly snapped in half did the team realise they were clearly outmatched. While Aqualad hesitated, the assassin kept fighting. Within a few minutes, the team watched in horror as the snapped leg was fully healed. While they called for League backup, Batman was busy on the other side of the city fighting Twoface, and anyone else was also going to be too late to arrive quick enough. One by one, Robin’s teammates fell, while Superboy had invincibility, he was still half human. Kid Flash was running low on calories, Miss Martian and Aqualad both did not have enough experience with assassins. When it was only Robin and Artemis fighting left, they knew they were cornered. They both shared a look, if they were going down, it wasn’t going to be easy._

_“Get traught!” They yelled to each other as they once again fought like deadly tigers. But Artemis wasn’t as good at close combat as Robin, her bow used as a staff was thrown far and out of reach. The silver knives they held kept slicing skin until she fell from blood loss. Robin’s vision blurred as he fell to one knee, before it went black the moon illuminated a figure standing above him._

_“It’s been a while, hasn’t it grandson?”_

.  
  


The rest was a blur, Dick remembered stumbling around a labyrinth with water drugged with hallucinogens, the visions of his family screaming at him how it was his fault they died. The team taunted his young age, how he shouldn’t be in Young Justice. What really hurt was Bruce, his ~~father~~ , guardian’s cold eyes as he stated that he regretted ever picking him up from the circus floor. What broke him, was the continuous torture they put him through, waterboarding, electrocution, fights with other talons, there were no forms left that he hadn’t experienced. The worst part was when they had injected Electrum into him, he was awake when they attached a IV bag filled with a black liquid, it hurt beyond imagination when his blood was replaced with this serum. When his heart was _ripped_ from his body and he _watched_ as they put it back and it _healed_. 

However, Dick grew numb from the pain, getting his eyes ripped from sockets and his legs shattered were just regular Monday’s. But he couldn’t stand being locked in his coffin, the cold encapsulating his body, slowing down his body’s processes but he was _awake_ the _entire_ time. No allowance for movement, speaking wasn’t allowed, it was tortured out of him after getting his tongue cut off too many times, it was so _lonely_. 

But one training session it changed, Dick was left in an empty room connected to another by a thick glass pane. When the other room was filled with tiny children, whimpers flooded through the air as the kids trembled. His ~~grandfather~~ , Cobb held the children with one arm, while the other held a silver knife. His gold eyes glinted, _Talon hated that shade of yellow,_ as _he_ was brought into Dick’s room.

Tony Zucco.

God, Dick thought he looked pathetic. Snot dribbled out his nose as he cried for mercy, his clothes rumpled and while roughed up by talons he wasn’t injured. 

“Grandson,” Cobb purred with a smug smirk _that Talon wanted to clAW OFF_ , “it’s all your choice. For each minute, that _thing_ is left alive. One of these kids will be killed.” Dick’s vision tunneled, while he absolutely wanted to _throw that_ **_monster_ ** _off a roof and see how_ **_he_ ** _liked it_ , he couldn’t make himself _kill_ someone. His hand trembled while gold claws glinted, his enhanced hearing picked the whimpers increase in volume as Cobb pushed the knife harder until blood dribbled from the kids neck. 

“Please, oh god, please! Don’t kill me!” Zucco stuttered while pleading. But his voice only caused Dick to remember the _cracking sound his parents made as_ **_he_ ** _made them fall_ . Talon dragged a claw to his lips to shush him, he remembered seeing those dirt caked fingers messing with the wire. Those beady eyes narrowed at Haly, that marred face split into satisfaction at the _sound of his_ **_pleads_ ** _for his parents to_ **_wake up_ **. He dragged his claws from Zucco’s ripped collar to his tear soaked eyes, when a scream dragged him back to reality.

That's right. Those kids are still in danger, but Talon could stop that by _ripping that throat from it’s neck_ . All those bloody thoughts on how to _torture_ Zucco blanked as Talon stared into his eyes. Pupils constricted so far from fear he could only see that _disgusting_ iris pleading back at him. He didn’t even think, when the words flowed through his mouth so naturally. 

“Tony Zucco. The Court of Owls has sentenced you to die.”

Talon couldn’t fully remember anything after that, it was a blur of blood splattered across the once blank room, his black uniform preventing any blood caught from being seen. His claws dripped with the crimson liquid, when he looked up from the painted floor and saw _him_ ripped into bloody pieces. His face etched into eternal horror, those fingers snapped off so that he could _never sabotage another family_ **_again_ **, his body so mutilated that his face was the only indicator of identity. When he looked back at the connecting room, there was no longer any children in there, just another talon staring back at him with another target killed beneath him

He saw a pale complexion in the man, the same gold claws and highlights tainted with blood. His black hair wild, untamed from no care. The worst part was black veins surrounding his eyes and reaching across his face to his neck. Cold, gold eyes stared back. 

Oh. It wasn’t a glass pane anymore. It was a mirror.

_How he hated gold._

Talon was quickly brought to a courtroom, filled with owls at the stands, and talons standing, kneeling beneath them. At the centre, a bright white light shone on _him._ A multicoloured mask adorned his face, his figure was opposing and looming over the entire court, sitting in the head seat, Talon immediately recognised that this was the Judge of Owls.

With a booming voice, that quickly hushed the crowds, 

“Court of Owls, today we welcome a new Talon to our ranks, the Gray Son of Gotham,” the Judge proclaimed. Whispers broke out from the owls, this was the talon of legend, the boy who was groomed for his role, the blood of talons ran through him. “What do you say, Gray Son,’ he taunts.

“Yes, Grandmaster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m on tumblr tinypandagirl123 if any of y’all wanna chat?


	2. Broken Ladders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was easier for Talon to ignore that they were people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I guess I’m making a full on fic now, multi chapter and everything. I’ll get to to team soon, but imma establish some stuff first and like try to make a believable storyline

Talon was unsure of how long he’d been in the Court, the days blurred from training sessions with his ruthless grandfather or other older talons. When Talon was with Cobb, it was never clear who would win that fight. Black figures would dance with gold streaks racing behind them, the two would fight for days without end due to their accelerated healing allowing them to be able to continue. Each training room would always be disinfected and wiped down until you could see your own reflection before a training session would begin, the amount of blood that was splattered and left afterwards were the measure on how successful a training was. The more blood, the more lethal the area that was hit. During Talon’s fights with Cobb, the room was always painted crimson when they were forced to stop, not even an inch was left untouched. Talon never knew if the blood belonged to him more or Cobb. Not since he realised he couldn’t feel if he was injured or not. 

Fights with other talons however, Talon always knew the blood belonged to his opponents. It was only natural he would win. Being trained as a world class acrobat since he could walk, to be a crime fighter in Gotham no less by the Batman himself, and constantly practising with his meta human/alien team members and winning. The Court of Owls practically preened when they had acquired the Gray Son. He would eventually become _the_ Talon under their tutelage, and command over their army.

Every once in a while, Talon was sent by an Owl to take care of certain people who were considered unwanted elements in their city towards the Court. At first, Talon was brought targets, ranging from high profile politicians to gang leaders. He would patiently wait in a black painted room, for another talon to dump a person inside. At first, Talon would gaze at their terrified eyes and show pity towards them, not unsheathing his gold claws just yet. Until Cobb would inevitably come into the room and list their rows of crimes. The first person was a caretaker at the Gotham Orphanage, Dick just stood there in the middle room watching the male plead and struggle through his gag and tied up limbs. Hesitance rang through Dick’s body, unwilling to harm someone who helped people just like him. But then Cobb silently glided into the room, whispering just one statement, 

“Oh grandson, don’t pity him. He deserves what he’s getting, after all. He wasn’t just taking care of those poor kids, he took _advantage_ of them,” Cobb crowed.

Fury immediately settled in Talon’s body language, tensed up muscles and tremors shook Talon. This ~~man~~ monster was _Talon’s_ target, and Talon never missed.

“Reilly Cooper, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die.” 

The next ~~person~~ target,

_It was easier for Talon to ignore that they were people_

Was another gang member, accused of murdering several families, but released due to her mother having friends in high places. After numerous targets were killed by Talon’s hands, he no longer required Cobb’s lists of their crimes. They were simply brought into the plain black room, and had their throats ripped apart with Talon’s gold claws. Red splattered through the air and onto the black walls, invisible to any who didn’t know the rooms purpose.

_At least the room wasn’t gold._

The cycle continued. Gold claws slashing through throats until enough crimson painted Talon’s uniform that the smell was all too noticeable. It took numerous targets of varying ages and crimes for the Judge of Owls to declare that Talon was ready for a mission outside the court. 

Talon’s next target; Commissioner Gordon.

The given time frame was four weeks, Talon’s plans were to observe every waking moment of Gordon’s schedule and eliminate him at his most vulnerable. There was no room for failure. Should he be unsuccessful with his mission, Talon didn’t even want to imagine how long he would be frozen for.

_Unheard screams passed through Dick’s blue lips, no air meant no sound. He was forced into stillness, a state practically unheard of for a flying Grayson. Dick was meant to fly, but no matter how tense he could flex his muscles, the freezing chains bound him to his coffin._

Due to the electrum humming through Talon’s veins, he required minimal sustenance and negligible amounts of sleep. He was able to pinpoint Gordon’s steps at any time of the day, observing from a respectable distance, his enhanced eyesight allowed him to spot even the minute difference in colour of his coffee in the mornings. The commissioners schedule was absolutely predictable. Early morning rises at 6:00am, groggily brewing instant coffee and cereal for breakfast until he gets prepared for work by 7:00am. By 7:30, after wading through the musty Gotham streets, he arrives at GCPD. He would work at his office almost all morning, stopping only for the thick caffeine sludge named coffee at the community kitchen. Lunch was at 1:00pm, for half an hour he would drag up a plastic bag filled with simple ham sandwiches. Once again, he would finish up paperwork, occasionally converse with coworkers about cases and occasionally even go to a crime scene. Coming home at 6:30, Gordon always cooked dinner and ate with his teenage daughter - Barbara Gordon. Finally resting by 11:00pm at the latest.

Talon took immense effort into detailing the finer points of Gordon’s schedule, every detail to the minute. No room for hesitation or second chances, if Talon misses, Gordon would undoubtedly go into police protection. While it wouldn’t be impossible to kill him under such conditions, Talon didn’t want to take the risk. After all, Batman was commonly known to have association with the commissioner.

_Blue eyes crinkled behind bent glasses, his grey moustache shook with laughter as he watched a colourful nine year old bird swinging on The Dark Knight of Gotham. White lenses stared at Robin almost amusedly, with a slight tilt of his head, Robin settled down next to the black figure._

_“What’s up Commish?”_

Quickly shaking his head of the image, Talon ignored the whispers in his head to run, far from the Court. Back to his ~~dad~~. 

No!

Gold clawed hands scratched at his ears and pulled on raven strands of hair. Indecision shook through Dick’s body, this wasn’t him! He wasn’t supposed to be out on rooftops prowling around and spying on his best friend's dad, plotting how to kill him. He was meant to fly over the roofs and catch bad guys. Dick needed to find Batman.

_“Remember Dick, our number one rule, is to never take a person’s life. We don’t have the right to choose who lives and dies,” Bruce sternly started directly into his wards eyes. Trying to convey the most important message he could ever give to the young vigilante._

Talon froze in his position, eyes staring unblinkingly but not actually seeing the metal bars separating him from the roof and the sky. He could never go back. Not when his gold claws had _slit_ **_so_ ** _many throats, ripped out_ **_larynxes_ ** _from numerous throats in_ **_cold blood_ ** _._ When his cold gold eyes would stare so unabashedly at dead corpses lying beneath him, _murdered_ by _his_ hands.

_Maybe more blood would cover those gold glinted parts of him?_

That’s right. Batman and Robin. A symbol of hope, when out of the corner of your eyes, you see a shadow of a frayed black cape and a flash of a yellow belt, and hear an echoing cackle in the background .The unstoppable crime fighting duo. _Crime_ fighting duo. Talon was a being that he once swore to take off the streets, now? Now he was Talon.

Talon would never be able to bear bringing himself into Batman’s custody. To see the realisation and disgust paint his cloaked figure. To see _his_ disappointed blue eyes glaring at him, to be thrown into cold concrete walls at Arkham by _his_ black gloves. To have _everyone_ in the League and the Team know that the first child hero became a ~~human weapon~~ child assassin. And Alfred, his British ~~grandfather~~ butler, narrow his eyes like they would when Dick would try to steal a cookie. Only this time, it wouldn’t be lovingly.

_It’s so cold here. Why did they not give Dickie any blankets? Surely he wasn’t criminal, but those ruff boys kept kicking him while the guards would feign blindness. It wasn’t fair! He shouldn’t be isolated in these enclosed walls, he should be in the air with his family. But the Juveniles Centre’s rusted bars locked him inside, with every passing day, Dickie believed just that little bit more that it was his fault. That he was the reason his parents were killed. That he really_ **_was_ ** _a_ **_criminal._ **

The thought of facing his beloved mentor hurt more than having his ribs ripped out of him, at least then there was a physical reason for his lack of breath and that sunken feeling in his chest. 

It’s too late for Talon.

Wednesday lunch. That was when Talon decided he would strike, Gordon would go out to Jitters to buy a rich espresso with thick milky froth topping the caffeine loaded drink. However, on the walk there, the Commissioner would pass through a small alley, covered in grime and dust, just out of the way enough that no one really acknowledges nor remembers its existence. Just a faint echo at the beck of people’s minds. Perfect for someone to hide something in. Talon had 25 minutes before anyone would come to check on Gordon, more than enough time to rip his gold claws through the Commish’s throat.

_A scene of a young girl flashed through Dick’s mind. Bright red curls flicked him in the face, while a greying man stared down at him in amusement as the freckled girl smiled at him._

_“What’re you thinking about Dick?”_

Shaking his raven locks back and forth Talon growled in frustration. There was no time for distraction. Flicking out a gold studded knife from his utility belt, Talon prepared himself mentally. Wednesday was tomorrow, and at 1:00pm, Talon would strike.

The gold owl carved on the knife laughed mockingly at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be shyyy (even if I am) talk to me on tinypandagirl123 on tumblr y’all


	3. Blunt Knife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talon could practically hear his worries, on one hand, he may have finally found Robin, on the other, someone clearly got to him first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’all I promise I’m getting to the team next chapter, I think,,,

With a laugh, Commissioner Gordon bid his coworkers goodbye and left the GCPD. It was 1:00pm, he passed through the rough streets of Gotham, heading towards the nearest Jitters. It was time.

Talon prowled the rooftops, performing unnecessary but flamboyant flips to cross buildings. He needed to be absolutely hidden from prying eyes, this was his one and only chance. Walking through the crime infested city, the Commissioner travelled oblivious to his incoming assassination. As Gordon tread through the alley, Talon noticed a widening of the eyes and loosening of the shoulders, he appeared to have noticed something at the end. Before Gordon could walk out of the grim alleyway, Talon striked. Quickly rushing forward, Talon jumped off the stone wall and unsheathed his claws. Gold eyes became sniper rifles, as his pupils constricted and his vision narrowed to Gordon’s unblemished neck. It had to be quick, this was his first outside assignment, there was no time for decorum and informing the target that ‘The Court of Owls has sentenced you to die.’ He had practised enough on live targets, that with enough speed and the right angle, Talon could decapitate a man’s head with his increased strength. Talon didn’t want Gordon to suffer, he silently vowed in his head he would make this as quick and as painless as he was physically able to.  


But his rush to end his target was his downfall, his narrowed vision regrettably did not extend to the end of the alley. A scream warned Gordon of the incoming assassin, shock coloured the Commissioner's body language, twisting his head just fast enough to see a blurry black and gold body head right at him . Just as Talon was about to paint his gold claws crimson, startled, his field of view widened just enough to unblur a block of red. Red hair.  _ Barbara Gordon _ .   
  


She looked, normal. Flaming red hair flying around her freckled face, while her green eyes betrayed the terror rooted within her. Casual clothes covered her.

_ Why was Barbara here? Wasn’t it the middle of a school day, or had school ended? Last Dick remembers, it was still in the middle of the first semester.  _

Although, it appeared she had grown more mature.

_ Oh god. How long had Dick been with the Court for? _

Two Jitters cups fell out of trembling hands, brown liquid splashed and stained the cold concrete ground, it didn’t take the protege of the World's Greatest Detective to deduce that Barbara meant to bring coffee to her dad. But that split second of recognition in Talon’s messed up head had him hesitating.

_ Dick never wanted Barbara to experience losing her parents like he had. To see that acceptance colour their eyes, and reach to you one last time. To see their broken, bleeding bodies lay motionless in front of you. To see nothing but them lying on the cold circus floor, while people try to shield your eyes but that image is  _ **_burned_ ** _ into your head. Oh god, w _ **_hy won’t they wake up!_ **

That split second of hesitance cost Talon his clean shot at Gordon’s neck. Only managing a shallow scratch on his face, it would scar, but it wasn’t nearly enough to kill him. Not when  ~~ his friend ~~ the target’s daughter was there to bear witness to Talon, but Talon never received permission to kill anyone but the target. There was no time, Talon’s enhanced hearing caught a multitude of footsteps heading their way, to see what the commotion was. Failing to eliminate his target was one thing, but to reveal the existence of the Court to the public another. Retreat was the only option. As Talon fled into the shadows, he took one last glimpse at Barbara’s face. For only a split second, Gordon only saw a pale face hidden by gold adorned black goggles.

_ When was the last time he’d seen Bruce or the Team? _

  
  


Observing from a respectable distance, Talon grimaced as 24 hour police protection surrounded the modest house and guarded the Commissioner. While Talon knew he could easily evade the trained officers, he didn’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing him and realising  ~~ who ~~ what he was.  ~~ He also didn’t want Barbara to see him like this. ~~ While his gold goggles hid his facial features, his uniform was a clear indicator of who he worked for. He couldn’t risk any witnesses or his coffin would be all he would feel for a significant period of time.

That night, Gordon was escorted to the GCPD, followed by a multitude of officers, he climbed onto the GCPD rooftop, turning on the Bat Signal. A blinding yellow light shone onto the bleak, dark cloudy night. Not just a signal, but a message to the criminal underworld that the Batman was nearby. It wasn’t long before Talon noticed a shadow grow seemingly larger than before, black pointed ears appeared from the darkness, he was here. Batman’s white eyes scanned Gordon and narrowed when he noticed the bandages on his face. With a growl, he questioned the Commissioner.

“You were attacked today. Can you give a clear description of the assassin?” It was only short, clipped sentences. But Batman’s blunt speech was all he would talk.

_ Robin didn’t even need to communicate on the field anymore. Just a well-timed tilt of the head and tightening of his muscles was all he needed to talk to Batman. After working with the Dark Knight for so many years, he could read his body language like a book. That slight turn of his grimace and loosening of the shoulder, Dick could easily tell Bruce’s emotions almost as well as Alfred. _

But could they still read each other after this? Years of silent communication down the drain because someone had twisted Dick like a fun mirror at the circus. Talon didn’t want to know the answer. But it was Wednesday night, he still had until Sunday midnight to accomplish his assignment. Still peering at the two figures towering over the city, Talon once again tuned into the conversation.

“-completely black, except for those gold goggles,” Talon didn’t need to hear Gordon’s horrifying description of his state, getting your lungs crushed was one thing, hearing Gordon sound terrified of him was another. “Black veins were crawling down his head, oh god, he looked so young.” It was imperceptible to any outsider, like the commissioner, but to Talon, it was clear as day. The youthful features, extremely physically fit boy, black hair and acrobatic tendencies. Batman deduced, no, hoped that this was Dick. Minute tightening of the shoulders, anger. Slight grimace tugging at his cracked lips, concern. Bowing of the black eared head, regret. The turmoil of emotions were painted across Batman’s body language, clearly conflicting within him. Talon could practically hear his worries, on one hand, he may have finally found Robin, on the other, someone clearly got to him first.

_ Dick lost count of how long he’d been in the maze. A week? A month? A day? It made no difference, every stone and granite wall looked the same to his drugged mind. Desperate cries flew through his dry mouth, he no longer had any tears left to cry. But pleading soon became scarce as screams were the only things that passed through his lips for his foreseeable future. The thought of how Bruce would explain his disappearance as Dick almost amused him, but the absolute yearning of going home overruled any amusement. _

Batman simply nodded and told the Commissioner he’d find out more with his gruff voice. Not lingering any longer, he once again disappeared into the shadows. Gordon simply stood for a few more moments, before sighing and whispering a ‘please save him’ to the harsh winds, before returning home. Silently, Talon took a running start before chasing Batman across the Gotham rooftops. Although at a distance, flipping around and chasing the sky with Batman was a reminiscent experience. Stopping only when Bruce arrived home, with his gold eyes, he watched the manors inhabitants. Observing the dark and brooding man whisper hopefully at his trusted butler, lip-reading the words ‘I think I might have found Dick.’

So desperately did Dick want to scream at Batman.  ~~ I’m here! Bruce, please, I want to go home! ~~ But as usual, no sound passed through his lips. What was once a boy always ready to throw a pun or a new word that mocked the English language, was a near mute assassin, only speaking what the Owls allowed, like a puppet used to entertain. Talon was too scared to speak, not after the numerous times of getting his tongue ripped out of his throat. After all, it was just another way to twist the bright circus boy into a demented and deranged human weapon. Sometimes, Talon wondered where they would throw the cut off pieces of him, while it was hazy, Talon recalled at least a dozen fingers, organs and bones cut off and out. At least, it stopped after he realised that fighting back was pointless. It was just a game to Cobb. Break the boy, prove to Court once again why you are our best Talon. Well,  _ were _ . Talon was skilled enough to decapitate Cobb, but he needed permission from the Court. Cobb was still a useful asset, and until Talon could defeat him 100% of the time, his ancestor was still the head talon.

_ Talon sometimes wondered what it would be like to die. Death was certainly desired by Dick while they were still breaking him. With electrum humming through his veins, only a complete severing of his head would end him. But he only knew this because he saw the reports on the Batcomputer, Bruce believed it was mercy to end a Talon, after all - they were already dead.  _ ~~_ Dick wondered if Batman would be the one to kill him. _ ~~

The blood of murderers ran through his veins. Even Haly’s Circus hid their fair share of blood, taking any talented children, and delivering them to the Court. And Dick,  _ my little Robin _ , Grayson was the cherry on top. A true prodigy, flying was like breathing. What a shame the Batman got to him first. But, it was a blessing in disguise. Robin received training with numerous heroes, only further sharpening the diamond sword that was Dick. How fun it was, when Cobb got to  _ break  _ and  _ reshape _ that sword into a true dagger. Cobb enjoyed sadistically convincing Dick of the fact that everyone left him at some point. And after a while, he started to believe it. His mum and dad fell to their deaths to get away, his uncle never waking to see the shame that was the last Flying Grayson, Haly was secretly raising him like a pig to the slaughter.

The League left him to suffer at the Court’s hands. The Team was too weak to handle the other Talons, let alone Cobb. Bruce never came to save him. 

No one came. No one was coming.

A choked sob left his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> U know when u have the vague idea of where a story is heading but you don’t know how to connect them all? That’s me rn


	4. Nocturnal Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regret may have filled his eyes, but the overwhelming fear of failing his assignment quickly covered the emotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it to 2k words this chap, v proud and v terrified how ppl write like 10k chapters

Prowling around the grimy rooftops, Talon waited for night to fall. As the blinding sun faded underneath the towering buildings, the moons made its appearance. Reflecting light from the resident star, it shone across and illuminated the gray concrete streets. Thick gray smog hid the majority of the stars, but Talon’s enhanced vision allowed his glowing golden eyes to witness the spectacle destroyed by light pollution. Orion’s Belt, a legendary Greek hero that will be forever chased by the Scorpion. Talon practically crowed at the injustice of his situation. The Owls were his Scorpion, and like the Greek tragedy, Talon will never escape, chased even to the end of infinity.

To enter Gotham city, if you were a hero, you needed permission from Batman. It didn’t matter if you were Superman, or Green Lanterns, or even sidekicks. You are not permitted entry, if Batman did not allow it. Even if you were as fast as the Flash, somehow, the Dark Knight always knew when some hero enters Gotham City’s limits. This sense of sorts was transferred to Robin as well, appearing out of the shadows and cackling a warning to any naive hero to leave before the beloved vigilante came. The smoke filled air seemed to buzz with electricity, yet still felt heavier in response to the foreign presence. Talon waited for a while, but the unsettling presence didn’t disappear, but only grew heavier. At that moment, Talon realised that a group of heroes had entered the crime filled city, and they were invited by the resident hero. There were no facts to back up his deductions, but Talon somehow knew they were there to protect Gordon and find the mystery assassin. But there was no way Batman would let the League come in on such a far fetched theory that the boy was Dick, no, Batman would’ve sent someone who mainly operated in stealth. Like an undercover team that even the public generally didn’t even know existed. Like Young Justice. The Team had come to find him.

Talon had to be on guard, but no more than he already was when near Batman. He wouldn’t have to be too wary of Superboy’s super hearing, as he was already able to sneak up on him as Robin, with the Courts training, he would be absolutely silent to the clone. Kid Flash’s speed would be annoying to deal with, as he would need to be wary even if he was on the other side of the city, but Talon just needed to stick to the shadows and he wouldn’t be seen. Miss Martian’s telepathy is something Talon was worried about, he would be able to defend against it with reasonable strength considering he had trained with Martian Manhunter, however if she managed to sense the familiarity of his mind, Batman would immediately and relentlessly pursue him.  ~~ Hopefully the Court had messed with his head enough that he was unrecognisable. ~~

With the added pressure of the Team searching and defending against him, finishing his assignment just increased in difficulty. There was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to complete his mission within the given time frame, if the Court realised his failure however, well, let’s just say no amount of potential Talon held would prevent them from freezing him for as long it took for his family to die. That feeling of ice growing on your skin, crawling unrelentingly further until it encapsulated you. Before reaching down your throat and slowly freezing your insides. No air to scream, that was even if Talon didn’t have his tongue cut off, the cold prevented his healing. No room to move, that itch under his skin was infuriating, unable to relieve it by flying underneath the sun. No light to see, taking away one of your senses truly held to the theory your other senses will increase, only perpetuated by Talon’s enhancements. No, he couldn’t fail again, he wouldn’t.

Talon silently watched Gordon’s home, with every entrance and more covered by one of the team. Miss Martian and Artemis seemed to usually cover the rooftops, while Kid Flash circled the perimeter constantly, Superboy held down the back entrance, while Aqualad held the front. It was a full proof setup, however it seemed unlikely Batman revealed the real reason they were in Gotham protecting the Commissioner. Artemis and Superboy’s agitated behaviour indicated a frustration and lack of knowledge towards the situation, their guard was slightly lower than the rest - and Talon would exploit that. However Kid Flash’s erratic behaviour seemed to be due to concern, Batman appeared to have informed him alone due to his knowledge of Dick’s secret identity. 

Noticing every few hours the young heroes would change positions slightly as one would leave by zeta somewhere and another would return, this was how he would catch them off guard. Deducing that they had shifts to stop for rest, he needed to pinpoint when the team would be most vulnerable. Miss Martian’s telekinesis and telepathy held the highest risk towards Talon’s mission, the 5 hour period she would be gone is when the team would lose the major advantage. With no mind link for the team to communicate soundlessly by, they would be in disarray should someone attack, Miss Martian would also not be present to recognise Talon’s familiar mind and inform anyone. With a shorter resting period - due to being Martian, someone would still use a communicator to recall her into battle should it arise. Talon approximated that she would take 3 minutes to reach the Commissioner's home from the Mountain, excluding any time she would take bleary from sleep. So it would be during the middle of that five hour break, that Talon would strike. If there was no battle, it would be the best possible scenario, however Talon wasn’t a genius for nothing, he calculated a 64% chance that a fight would arise.

Wearing lead lined talon goggles - due to Dick’s acquaintance of Kryptonian descent, Talon opted to wear the entire black mask to hide his face.  ~~ So his friends wouldn’t see his disgusting gold eyes ~~ ~~.~~ Carefully calculating in his head the optimal path to travel, he pounced and stuck to the shadows. With less light reaching the back entrance, Talon decided to enter the house from that end. Passing Kid Flash’s yellow and red lightning trail, Talon caught a glimpse of his face. It was less than a second, but he could easily read the worry clouding his green eyes behind the tinted goggles, the unkept ginger hair flying across his head indicated a lack of attention for himself and a fear for someone else.  ~~ Maybe Wally still cared for Dick, maybe they could still be best friends after everything. ~~

There was no time to waste, skipping through the trees in Gordon’s backyard, Talon needed a distraction as Superboy was directly blocking the door while keeping an annoyingly close eye on the windows. Straying to the neighbor's yard, Talon let out a small childlike whimper, quiet enough that no other member could hear, but enough for Superboy’s kryptonian side to notice. Quickly scaling back to his position, the young hero roughly jumped across the fence, leaving a trail of stomped grass and mud. Silently, Talon slipped through the window while Aqualad tried to order Superboy back to position. While the clone abrasively explained that he heard a sound, Talon had already made it to the master bedroom. Observing from a shadow, the Commissioner was snoring deeply on the soft bed, Talon assessed the messy room, scanning for escape exits and anything useful. Regret may have filled his eyes, but the overwhelming fear of failing his assignment quickly covered the emotion.

“Jim Gordon, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die,” with a whisper, Talon striked.

Rushing forward, Talon threw two knives towards Gordon, pinning his sleepwear to the wall. Immediately waking, the Commissioner’s eyes stared at Talon’s glowing gold orbs with shock. Before he could scream, Talon unsheathed his gold claws, about to cut a very deep wound onto the target. But just before he could reach his neck, Talon noticed in his peripheral a black blur entered the room. Hitting Talon with great speed, he crashed into the glass window. The pane broke easily, causing the assassin to fall out due to his momentum. It was a two story fall, Talon performed a flashy triple flip in the night sky before landing on the cold concrete with another quick front flip and roll before turning around, facing the 4 heroes. Still crouching, Talon observed the scene in mere milliseconds. Gold eyes darted from Artemis aiming an arrow from the rooftops, to Kid Flash exiting the front door and Superboy over the house in the air, evidently jumping from the backyard. Aqualad however was of immediate concern, only a few metres away, wielding his dual water blades. Before they could speak, Talon once again rushed to the offence.

It was almost like a well choreographed dance. The heroes would try attack the black figure, green arrows rained down from the sky, electricity attempted to shock the boy while aiming the water blades at him with clear finesse, powerful hits tried to pummel the assassin while a blue of black and red speeded around, entering the fray every so often. But it was pointless. The black and gold painted figure danced across the concrete stage, too agile to be hit with accuracy, too tortured to even flinch at the electricity and too changed to stand down by a super powered punch. His healing factor was evident, Superboy’s anger caused him to break one of Talon’s hands, while Kid Flash hesitated, concern colouring his green eyes hidden by goggles, the masked figure simply continued. Healing within a minute, Aqualad quickly shouted how this was one of the assassins they encountered after Killer Crock. The rounding continued for a long period of time, while Talon did not possess a clock, he knew it had been or at least nearly 3 minutes of fighting. While still fighting ferociously, a well trained eye would have noticed a droop in his posture, indicating shame in failing his assignment.  ~~ Maybe Batman could still read him after this ~~ ~~.~~ But right as Talon was about to make his escape into the shadows, another figure appeared to fall out of them. It took the form of a cape wearing vigilante. Batman was here the whole time.

Talon cursed his distracted mind from not noticing the hero earlier, but the situation had gone from pitiful to disastrous. While Talon had been managing the fight alright with the Team, as Batman joined the fray, the tables had completely turned on him. He had to distribute his concentration to numerous highly skilled opponents, it was like fighting Cobb and a group of high ranking talons at the same time. If given enough time, Talon could overpower the numerous talons, factoring in Cobb changed the equation entirely. It was evident in Talon’s increasingly frustrated fighting, changing his tactics from a mix of defence to offense, to complete offence. His body language screamed recklessness, he was getting desperate, sloppy, he was losing. From the distance, he could hear Miss Martian’s name announced from the zeta tube. That split second of hesitation from listening in cost him, distracted, Kid Flash managed to speed past Talon and hit his black mask.

It was like a movie in slow motion, Talon could feel that piece of fabric leave his head and fly onto the broken bushes on the side.  ~~ His disgusting ~~ gold eyes stared unabashedly at numerous others, black veins scoured the pale face scarring the minds of the Team. Every single one of them stopped their well-choreographed dance. Staying crouched down on the now cracked concrete floor, Talon observed every single reaction that painted the heroes faces. Shock rang throughout each, even without something covering his eyes, his ruined face was easily recognisable no matter how long it had been. 

Kid Flash whispered just one word as tears escaped his goggles.

“Dick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am lokey getting lost in the plot but o well  
> Am on tumblr talk to me y’all tinypandagirl123 or insta tiny_panda_4869


	5. Forever and Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How could Dick be a survivor, if he never left the maze. When only Talon came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh so sorry this took so long, had no idea wot to write then life kinda happened  
> TW:Dissociation

Apparently Robin’s secret identity wasn’t so secret anymore. Talon could tell from the obvious flinches from the Team they knew who he really was. The excitable, English-butchering teen hero somehow stood in front of them in the form of a pale, deadly assassin. Shock still filled the air, so dense with tensions Talon could barely breathe. But before he could take another step, a green blur appeared in his peripheral vision. Too late to dodge, the Martian’s eyes glowed before black invaded his sight.

_“Hey B,” Dick crawled on Bruce’s lap, blue eyes tilted upwards to meet the older man’s amused expression. Stopping his typing on the laptop, Bruce gently hugged the boy closer to his chest, giving the 9 year old his full attention. “Do you love me?” The question rattled Bruce, indicated by his startled body language, before softening._

_“Of course Dickie, I will always love you,”_

_“Forever and ever?” Worry coloured the child’s eyes,_

_“Forever and ever,” causing warmth to bubble in the acrobat's chest. As the two cuddled on the black velvet chair, the business man made a silent promise to always protect his_ ~~_child_ ~~ _ward._

_It wasn’t nearly enough_

Batman immediately rushed forward, catching the unconscious boy with his gloved hands. Although hidden by his stature, Superboy could see the Dark Knight cradle the child with a gentleness only a father could produce. Running his fingers through still soft raven locks, from up close Talon’s facial features were much more prominent to the vigilante. Black veins ran across the pale face, from his unsettling gold eyes to down his neck, it was evident that Electrum now flowed through his veins. Batman tried to recall exactly how the substance was introduced to a body and its effects, but he never could find much information on the Court. Standing abruptly, the hero yelled out orders to return to the Cave. With the boy held safely in his arms, Bruce could relax just that little bit, but as the boy's limbs dangled precariously in the wind, anxiety replaced any comfort at the thought of his partner’s recovery.  
  


Using the zeta tubes, the Team made its way back to the Cave. The atmosphere was bleak, but somehow it seemed just a little bit brighter when the automated voice announced that their lost teammate was returned to them. Like lost puppies, the young superheroes trailed behind Batman, making their way to the infirmary. None of the superheroes had ever been so glad to be visiting the plain, white room. Gently laying the still unconscious boy onto a bed, Batman quickly took to taking the boy’s vitals while the Team crowded around the bed, attempting not to obstruct the Dark Knight’s observations. As numerous machines and needles seemed to be connected to the young boy, one glaringly obvious problem slapped the heroes in their faces. There was no heartbeat.

Flurrying into action, Batman started chest compressions. The team watched with bated breath, each one had noticed there were no breaths taken by the former child hero. Kaldur rushed to grab a breathing mask, in his hurry, nearly dropping it, but managed to fumble it on. Wally flinched as he could hear ~~Dick~~ Talon’s ribs cracking under the heavy hands of his mentor. Almost a minute had passed, but it felt like an eternity to the heroes. With each passing second, the Team grew more desperate, fidgeting sporadically but their eyes were still stuck on Talon’s limp body. 

_Thump._

“Wait! I heard it,” Superboy shouted at Batman. It was faint, but no one could deny the clone’s hearing wasn’t impeccable. Although that was the only heartbeat he heard, Miss Martian quickly delved into Talon’s mind to see whether he still had signs of life. A grimace painted the Martian’s face, as she could truly observe how twisted and tainted the boy’s mind was. Relieved, the hero exclaimed that the former protege was alive. Batman narrowed his eyes, almost staring deep enough to see his ~~son~~ ward’s soul. There was no movement, no breathing or twitching. The once restless boy was completely motionless. With no physical indication of his status of alive, the Team relied on Miss Martian’s scan over the unconscious mind. As a relieved expression appeared on her face, the entire Team let out a breath while Wally was almost sliding down to the floor in relief.

Once again replacing all the wires and hooking back the machines to Talon, they stood there. Staring at the young boy, who looked even younger, more frail on the huge bed almost swallowing him up. It was even more obvious close up, black veins running from his eyes, while simultaneously crawling up his neck. It’s been nearly a year, every member of the team has matured slightly. But looking at ~~Dick~~ Talon, he still looked the same age as when he was taken. Miss Martian’s ability would only keep the assassin down for a few more hours, but none of the Team had the slightest inclination of leaving. Making themselves comfortable, the young heroes spread themselves out on the adjacent beds and uncomfortable chairs. Batman just stood by the unconscious boy, his gloved hand twitching, wanting to once more hold the boy, to ensure he was still there. Without another second of hesitation, the Dark Knight lay his hand on raven locks, softly brushing through the untamed locks. Wally wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but he swore ~~his best friend~~ Talon relaxed slightly under his mentor’s touch.

_Dick lay there, in his freezing coffin, with nothing but his mind to keep him company. He’d lost count of how long was in there. He realised he never got to finish his homework, the circus boy would’ve giggled at the ridiculous thought if he could move his muscles. His homework, school, friends, the Team,_ **_Bruce._ ** _Maybe he was weak. The young vigilante was already forgetting the way his guardian’s eyes would crinkle at his antics, the slight uptick in Alfred’s moustache when he did something humorous._

_“When will you realise, grandson. Your ‘father’, he lies. They all lied to you, they never cared about you, it was just a trick. They only cared about what you could do for them.” It was faint, but Dick could easily hear the drawl of Cobb’s voice._

_He was going crazy in there. Previously smiling faces turned into mocking grimaces in his memories. Was it even real? Did the Team just pretend to be his friends, did the League just pity him? Did Bruce and Alfred really just secretly hate him?_

_If Dick could move, he would’ve been fervently shaking his head at the intrusive thoughts. It wasn’t true, from growing up in a circus, he could easily read people’s body language. He knew all those smiles, those actions were genuine. Or, were they. The young hero’s eyes became unfocused, while worry clouded the iris. There was no way to tell how long he’d been in the Courts clutches. But, surely_ ~~_his family_ ~~ _all those heroes would have found him by now, right? Unless, they weren’t looking._

_They weren’t looking._

**_They weren’t looking.  
  
_**

~~**_Forever and ever.  
  
_ ** ~~

_He lied._

  
  


While the Team appeared to be dozing off, due to the intense fight they had experienced earlier, Batman stood by his partner’s side without any indication of tiring out. While the young sidekicks missed it, the Dark Knight didn’t let the twitch of ~~Dick~~ Talon’s hands go unnoticed. 

Talon lay there, mind foggy, confused at the sequence of actions that led him to this familiar feeling bed. As his eyes blearily opened, the Team snapped back into focus, moving forward to surround him. But with a single gesture, the older hero kept them away, as a precaution from overcrowding the waking child. Vacant gold eyes swept around the room, scanning his surroundings. Attempting to get up, Talon realised he was strapped down, a sliver of confusion ran through him, but overwhelming fear flooded the boy as he realised his situation.

Talon failed to complete his mission. His time parameters were crossed. He was taken captive by the very people the Court fought to turn him against. ~~His family.~~

Unheard by almost everyone else in the room, Superboy and Talon’s enhancements allowed them to hear Batman’s gulp. It was almost humorous, the fearless Bat, scared. In a low voice, the Dark Knight attempted to speak.

“Dick?” It wasn’t a growl, but soothing. The other side of Batman, the one that helped victims. Talon grew tense at that thought, he wasn’t a victim, he was a survivor! But at the growl Talon failed to keep in, had him doubting that just for a moment. How could Dick be a survivor, if he never left the maze. When only Talon came out.

The white bed shook as the now conscious Talon began struggling in his straps, not even Batman could hide his flinch at the hate colouring the golden eyes. Despair quickly appeared obvious in the former partner’s movements, the straps used to hold him down were specifically made to hold those with enhanced strength. As his movements grew more frantic, tears began to prickle at Wally’s green eyes, seeing his best friend reduced to this, it was a nightmare come to life. Artemis wanted to pity the boy, but her past forced her to confront the truth that even the best can fall. Trembling, the Martian just let herself be held by Conner, bringing minimal but comfort nonetheless. Kaldur rushed forward to assist Batman into holding the struggling talon, while he couldn’t escape, he could severely injure himself in the attempt. Even though they all knew he would heal rapidly, none of them wanted to see their youngest hurt in any capacity if they could help it. 

At the touch of Batman’s rough gloves, and Kaldur’s cool webbed hands, Talon grew still. Relaxing into his bonds, Talon lay there, motionless. ~~He certainly got enough practise from lying in his coffin~~ . Confusion coloured the Team, but when the Dark Knight came closer to examine, he noticed the discrepancies in his ~~former~~ ward’s behaviour. While Bruce had taught Robin techniques to ensure survival when being kidnapped, he certainly never taught Robin this method. For one, the young hero never properly assessed the situation he was in, this could lead to incorrect assumptions and failure to escape. Batman drilled everything he could into making sure Dick would survive the rough Gotham streets, but not one of his lessons appeared in the boy’s actions. The unfocused eyes, failure to react to touch, even painful ones, shallow yet rhythmic breathing.

“He forced himself to dissociate.” Surprise yet concern was just noticeable in the Dark Knights statement. “Effectively shutting down, to escape the situation mentally.”

Wally’s eyes widened to dinner plates, it didn’t make sense. The first and last time Dick had dissociated was after getting kidnapped by Two Face, Wally was with his best friend, attempting to comfort the distraught boy. It was frightening to say the least, both Bruce and Alfred came to try to wake the young vigilante. Just as they were about to bring him to Dr Leslie Thompkins, awareness grew apparent in blue eyes. Even Alfred joined in the hug surrounding and grounding Dick, although he held little to no memory of the experience. The temporary amnesia and horrible feeling he could remember was enough to dissuade himself of ever forcing a dissociative episode. Although well hidden, Wally easily remembered the terror behind his best friend’s statement, he never wanted to feel as helpless as he did in that short amount of time. Kid Flash just couldn’t understand why Dick would induce this experience, when he was so fervently against it before.

Unknown to Wally, Batman had the same train of thought. Unlike the young hero, Bruce was able to form a logical conclusion and answer to his son ward’s behaviour. What he had experienced during the months he was lost was so horrific, that it was less painful to dissociate from the situation.

After all, how could one feel more helpless, when they’ve already given up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry if I didn’t write dissociation correctly, correct me in the comments and I’ll try to fix any mistakes


End file.
